History

Formation (1993–2002)

Bouvier takes to the air in Shawinigan-Sud, Quebec, 20 June
2009.

Simple Plan began in 1993 with the formation of a band named
Reset by friends Pierre Bouvier, Charles-André "Chuck" Comeau, Philippe Jolicoeur, and Adrian White. Reset toured around Canada with
bands such as MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only managed to
gain modest popularity. The debut album, No Worries, was
released in 1998, and Comeau left soon after to go to college. Two
years later he met with high school friends Jean-François "Jeff"
Stinco and Sébastien
Lefebvre who were in separate bands of their own, and combined
to create the band. Meanwhile, Reset released a second CD, No Limits (the two CDs would be
re-released as a single CD in 2006, with liner note comments from
Bouvier and Comeau). In late 1999, Comeau and Bouvier reacquainted
at a Sugar Ray concert and Bouvier left
Reset soon after to join Comeau. David
Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but when asked to join
the foursome, he too left the band six months later. This allowed
Bouvier, who had doubled as the band's front man and bassist, to
concentrate on the singing.

The origin of the band's name is obscure. Band members have given
various comical responses on this point, including that the band
was their simple plan to avoid obtaining a "real" job. However,
most likely, the name is derived from the movie "A Simple Plan". The name was only
intended to be temporary, but they never thought of anything
better, and with shows coming up for the new band, the name
stuck.

The record was originally released in the United States with twelve
tracks, ending with "Perfect". Enhanced and foreign editions came
in several different versions with up to two additional tracks in
addition to the original twelve. For example, the U.S. release
contained the extra songs "Grow Up", and "My Christmas List", while
the UK release contained the extra songs "One By One" and "American
Jesus" (a live version of a cover of a Bad
Religion song), as well as the two music videos, "I'd Do
Anything" and "I'm Just a Kid".

The record also contained vocals from singers from two other
pop-punk bands as "I'd Do Anything" included vocals by Mark Hoppus from Blink-182, and "You Don't Mean Anything" included
vocals by Joel Madden from Good Charlotte.

In 2002, the year Simple Plan released the album, Simple Plan
played more than 300 shows, topped the Alternative New Artist
Chart, and played a sold out tour in Japan. In 2003, the band
played as a headliner on the Vans
Warped Tour — an appearance memorialized in the comedy
slasher film, Punk Rock
Holocaust, in which four of the five band members are killed.
They would also play short stints on the Warped Tour in 2004 and
2005. Also in 2003, they opened for Avril
Lavigne on her "Try To Shut Me Up" Tour. In addition to several
headlining tours, they have also opened for Green Day and Good
Charlotte.

As mentioned before, when writing "No Pads, No Helmets...Just
Balls", the members of Simple Plan were aiming at a pure
pop-punk record. This time however, when writing "Still Not
Getting Any...", the members of Simple Plan were noted as
saying that they were not limiting themselves to the punk genre,
but rather letting themselves write "good music".

According to the bonus DVD of Still Not Getting Any..., while
making the CD the members of Simple Plan thought of many names
including "Get Rich or Die Trying" and "Danger Zone". They decided
on the name Still Not Getting Any... for a list of explained
reasons. The most popular and most likely reason is that the
members of Simple Plan thought that they weren't getting any good
reviews, Bouvier once noting that they only had one recent good
review in Alternative
Press. Another reason may be because they were still not
getting any respect. There are many more variations the band
members have given, as anything can really be put after the
ellipsis, including "better", "smarter",
"funnier", and the obvious sexual connotation. Comeau once
described the name of the album as "versatile".

"Still Not Getting Any..." showed a dramatic change in
Simple Plan's style as well. They still kept their style of
downbeat lyrics matched to upbeat music, but managed to transcend
from the standard pop-punk genre. Although many of the tracks on
this CD still carry the feeling of teen angst that is probably most
noticeable in the song "I'm Just a Kid" from the first album No
Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls, the general slant of this album
tends toward slightly deeper and more mature lyrical themes, as
well as a more mainstream sound that edges away from the pure
pop-punk style of their last album. Some critics have pointed
towards the inclusion of 'classic' or 'mainstream' rock elements,
claiming the album 'de-emphasizes punk-pop hyperactivity in favor
of straightforward, well-crafted modern rock'.

In 2005, Simple Plan also released the live album, MTV Hard Rock Live, which contained
live versions of songs from both the previous albums. The album
came in two different versions — a standard one, and a fan
pack edition. The standard edition included audio of the whole
performance, an acoustic version of Crazy, two live videos of the
performance of the first two songs "Jump" and "Shut Up!" and a
small booklet of pictures of the performance. The fan pack edition
contained audio and video of the whole performance in 5.1 surround
sound, three acoustic tracks for "Crazy", "Welcome To My Life", and
"Perfect", a 32-page color tour book, and an exclusive Simple Plan
patch and pin.

Simple Plan (2006–present)

The band in concert in Trenton NJ, December 2007

After nearly a year and a half in support of "Still Not Getting
Any...", the band ended most touring in February 2006, giving
only a few shows, taking some time off, and beginning work on their
third CD. As announced in Bouvier's official MySpace blog, Bouvier headed to Miami as on about
March 21, 2007 to work with an unnamed producer, who later proved
to be Dave Fortman. The band
entered the studio for pre-production in Los Angeles on June 29.
On July 15
they returned to Montreal, to record
at Studio Piccolo, the same studio at which they had recorded
"Still Not Getting Any...."They finished
recording and headed back to Miami and LA to
mix the album.The final part of making their record was
done in New
York and it was officially completed on 21 October,
though they later re-entered the studio to re-record some of the
lyrics to the song "Generation."

On 29 November 2007, the band announced that the CD release would
be postponed from the originally-scheduled January 29, 2008 date to
what proved to be the actual release date of February 12, 2008. The
Japan version, with two bonus tracks, was released on 6 February
2008.

After completing an around-the-world promotional tour, Simple Plan
played several December 2007 holiday shows. After continued
promotional tours in January, Simple Plan played a triple bill in
Camden
Town, London on 27
January 2008, with the first show featuring songs from the band's
first CD, the second from the second, and the third from the new
release. The band played four U.S. shows in late February,
and completed a European tour running until late April. The band
played four Japan dates, followed by several European festivals and
headlining dates.

On 8 May 2008, a Quebec newspaper reported that Stinco would
temporarily leave the band from June 3-29, 2008 for paternity
leave. Stinco was not part of the band's performance at the
Download Festival on 13 June but returned for the MuchMusic Video
Awards in Toronto on June 15. He did not play at the band's performance at
a summer festival on 21 June in Altamont, New York or the following day at Six Flags New
England, with Québécois musician Jean-Sébastien Chouinard
taking his place at each show.Stinco returned for
the band's show in Charlotte, North Carolina on 28 June.

After a return to the Far East in late July and early August, the
band played a Cross Canada Tour with Faber
Drive, Cute is What We Aim
For and Metro Station
(The All-American Rejects
were originally announced for the tour, but canceled due to other
commitments). After dates in Germany, Mexico, and Australia, the
band played its second full European tour of the year from 28
October to 29 November, playing Estonia and Poland for the first
time. The
band also played Tel
Aviv and Dubai in early
December—shows at which the band played as a four-piece, with
Desrosiers absent due to a family emergency and Lefebvre on
bass.The band played an eight-show South American
tour in March, and are playing various festivals and individual
shows in cities ranging from Calgary to Moscow.

In August 2008, "I Can Wait Forever" was chosen as the title track
for Animax Asia's original feature
length anime LaMB. The band appears in
the sci-fi cyberpunk anime feature as themselves, performing the
theme song. Animax Asia also made an animated video for "I Can Wait
Forever". In October 2008, the band recorded their own version of
The Hockey Theme, for forty years
the theme song for Hockey Night
in Canada.

Side projects

In addition to their involvement in the band, members of Simple
Plan have been involved in a number of side projects.

Simple Plan Foundation

The band performs as a four-piece in Dubai in Desrosiers' absence,
5 December 2008

The members of Simple Plan have helped nonprofit and advocacy
groups by donating to many established organizations such as the
MTV Asia Aid benefit, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk
Driving), RADD (Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes against
Drunk Driving), and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. However, after
being frustrated because the members did not know exactly where
their money was going to, the Simple Plan members created the
Simple Plan Foundation, a foundation that focuses on teen problems
ranging from suicide to poverty to drug addiction. As of 9 December
2005, the Simple Plan Foundation had raised more than $100,000. The
list of donors included venues on their November-December 2005
Canadian tour.

In June 2008, Bouvier announced plans for the foundation to
distribute $100,000 to organizations that aid children or families
experiencing difficulties due to handicaps or illness. Selected
organizations included Children's Wish Foundation, Kids Help Phone,
and War Child Canada, as well as College Beaubois (the high school
alma mater of all band members except Desrosiers).

In addition, the members held a benefit for the Foundation in
August. While the band's January show in Montreal had been to
benefit the Foundation, this was described as the first fundraising
event. It consisted of brunch and an acoustic performance. An
additional fundraising event has been scheduled for September 2009
in Montreal.

In October 2008, the band announced a special release, on iTunes,
of the single Save You,
to benefit the Foundation, with a special composite video featuring
cancer survivors. The song was inspired by the struggle with cancer
of Bouvier's brother Jay.

Damage Control

Damage Control
was a reality television series hosted by Bouvier that first aired
on MTV on March 6, 2005. On Damage Control, parents would
tell their teenage son or daughter that they would be going away
over the weekend, but in actuality, they are just a few houses down
monitoring them with Bouvier via hidden cameras and microphones.
The teenager would be placed in awkward situations, in which he/she
must make decisions. Parents can earn money if they can guess what
their teenager will do, and after the parents come back (always
with too little time for the teenager to conceal what has
occurred), the teenager, still unaware of the filming, can win
money by confessing. Two seasons were filmed before any episodes
aired, and no more were planned or filmed, due to the likelihood
that once the episodes aired, potential subjects would quickly
catch on to what was going on.

Man of The Hour

Man Of The Hour is a Simple Plan side project that features
Lefebvre and Patrick Langlois. Man Of The Hour is an internet radio
show found on iTunes-Radio-Alternative-idobi radio. During one of
the radio shows, Langlois and Lefebvre noted that Man Of The Hour
started as a joke, and that they wanted to begin a band with the
name because they liked how it sounded. They also said that they
did not have the time, and realized it was faster to do
pre-recorded radio shows instead. The show features commentary by
Lefebvre and Langlois, who devote part of the time to playing songs
they like, and feature occasional guests (either in person or by
telephone), including Simple Plan members and crew.

Role Model Clothing

Role Model Clothing is a clothing line owned by Bouvier, Comeau
(who are often seen wearing the shirts on stage and in the band's
music videos) and Langlois. The line mostly markets shirts, which
invariably include the words "ROLE MODEL" in the design. Erik
Chandler, the bassist and backing vocalist of the band Bowling for Soup, is often seen wearing a
Role Model shirt.

Miscellaneous

Patrick Langlois

Langlois (wearing a Role Model shirt) records Simple Plan's
performance in Osaka in May 2008.

Patrick "Pat" Langlois (also credited as "Patrick C. Cunningham")
is a friend of the band who was responsible for merchandising (he
was often seen running the "merch stand"), and also acted as
webmaster, photographer, and videographer.

On 7 December 2008, Langlois posted on the band web site that he
would continue to work for the band, but would also become a mobile
journalist for MusiquePlus. He stated
that he would continue to bring fans "all that is Simple Plan".
However, the program on which Langlois was working, MP6,
was canceled by MusiquePlus in early December. Langlois is still
employed by MusiquePlus, doing interviews, and is sometimes seen at
Simple Plan shows.

Langlois has appeared in most Simple Plan videos, with his
appearances sometimes painful. He was kicked in the crotch in "I'd
Do Anything", had a bowling ball dropped on his head and his
apartment destroyed in "Addicted", was knocked down by the band in
"Don't Wanna Think About You", and had a bottle smashed out of his
hand by a tennis ball hit by Lefebvre in "When I'm Gone". He is
also seen giving a thumbs up in "Perfect", as a valet in "Shut Up",
in the crowd in the gym in "I'm Just a Kid", getting out of a car
in "Welcome to My Life", and as an emergency services worker in
"Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)", a video in which his
pseudonym was used as the name of the drunk driver.

Affiliation with "What's New, Scooby-Doo?"

Earlier in its career, Simple Plan had a strong affiliation with
What's New,
Scooby-Doo?. They performed the theme song and appeared as
themselves in the episode "Simple Plan and the Invisible Madman" in
which excerpts from "The Worst Day Ever" are twice heard, as well
as parts of "You Don't Mean Anything". Additionally, "I'd Do
Anything" can be heard in the episode "It's Mean, It's Green, It's
the Mystery Machine".

The song "Grow Up" was used in the 2002 movie, "Scooby Doo", and is
on the movie's official soundtrack as well. The song "Don't Wanna
Think About You" was used in the movie, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters
Unleashed. The video for that song depicts the band racing across
town to get to a premiere of a Scooby-Doo movie (the dog and other
cast members appear at the premiere), only to arrive seconds
late.

Simple Plan also appeared in the 2004 film 'New York Minute',
featuring the song Vacation in a live concert as part of the
film.

MYplash

Many of the MYplashes were music themed, other participants
including Good Charlotte, Avril Lavigne, and Breaking Benjamin. The idea behind the
MYplashes was that parents would like it because it would provide
their teens with financial experience with no risk of overspending,
as it was not an actual creditcard, but rather a reloadable
giftcard. Teens would like the band theme and that they were
trusted with money that they could spend freely.

The cards did not prove popular, likely owing to high charges
attached to it, such as a 3% to 10% recharge fee, only getting a 3%
recharge fee when paying more than $200.00.